


christmas dinner

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-13
Updated: 2012-12-13
Packaged: 2017-11-21 00:18:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/591316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Traditions are hard to break sometimes. (the one with Caesar salad and a couple of significant eye-rolls.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	christmas dinner

**Author's Note:**

> bahaha i don't even know what this is.

Derek doesn’t know what to say when he opens his door to see Stiles on Christmas. Which is okay, because Stiles does know what to say. 

“So my dad is on call today, and we spent all of yesterday together, so I kind of figured – is anyone else here?” 

“No,” Derek says slowly, trying to catch up. Stiles has started three steps in front of him, as per usual, and he’s lost already. “It’s me and Peter and – is that a  _salad?”_  

Stiles looks both pleased and embarrassed. “Um, yeah? Believe it or not, some people eat salad, including me. But no one’s here? I mean, I bet Scott’s with his mom, but – no one?”

“Boyd and Erica are with his family, Isaac’s with Scott,  _why do you have a salad?”_  

“Because I’m here for Christmas, asshole.” Stiles rolls his eyes, but Derek thinks it’s the kind of eye-roll where he’s actually not that annoyed. “Are you going to leave me standing out here, or can I bring in my salad?” 

“Somehow, I’m not surprised you went vegetarian,” Peter says musingly from over Derek’s shoulder. Stiles does not flinch, although he looks like he wants to. “You seem like a vegetarian.” 

“What does that even  _mean?”_  Stiles mutters. 

Derek ignores the whole exchange. “But what about your dad?”

“On call, like I said. And there’s no way I’m spending Christmas alone.” 

“Lydia? Allison?” 

“Lydia’s visiting Jackson, Allison’s dad doesn’t like me, Danny – well, I don’t think you  _know_  Danny, but he’s visiting Jackson too. If you want me to leave, I can find – I don’t know, Greenberg or something. I mean, he’s Jewish, but it’s better than being alone.” 

And Derek almost says  _go find Greenberg, then,_  he almost slams the door in his face, he almost tells Stiles to go away, before he wonders how many Christmases Stiles has been through without his mom. 

It’s his first without Laura, and he thinks maybe that’s why he finds himself stepping back. 

“Do you even have Christmas dinner food?” Stiles asks as he walks in. “You two don’t seem like you’re going to go for the whole turkey-and-all-the-fixings thing.” 

“You’re right there,” Peter says, sounding amused. Derek knows that Peter has always liked Stiles – something about how their senses of humor tend to the eerily similar, as do their bizarrely clever schemes. “Ordered Chinese.” 

“I’ve heard all the Jewish people eat Chinese on Christmas,” Stiles says, sets the salad down, and looks around. “Do you guys have, like, a fork somewhere?” 

“No, we use our claws,” Derek says, and is rewarded with the same not-quite-annoyed eye-roll. “There are plastic forks somewhere.”

“You guys must eat out a lot. Or not at all.” 

Peter lets out a little huff of amusement. “We don’t get homemade salads a lot, I’ll say that.” 

“Yep, homemade Caesar salad, the way mom always made it.” Stiles grins, but there’s something not quite there about it. He turns around, looking for the forks. 

Derek wonders if it’ll ever get easier, not having Laura for Christmas. He wonders if it got easier for Stiles. He wonders why the Sheriff works on Christmas but not Christmas Eve. But then again, he wonders if he’ll ever be able to light a candle on Christmas Eve, without Laura warbling Christmas carols off-key. 

Everyone has traditions. Caesar salad. Candles. He wants to say sorry. 

“Chinese food and Caesar salad,” Derek says instead. “I can honestly say this is the least orthodox Christmas dinner I’ve ever had.” 

“Cheers,” Peter says easily, because this is the first Christmas he’s been able to have for six years, and Derek forgets that sometimes. Stiles sets three forks on the counter, and they each pick one up. 

“To a weird-ass dinner!” Stiles says, spears a piece of lettuce on his fork, and holds it up triumphantly. Peter does the same, adds “To Christmas!”, and together they look at Derek expectantly. 

Derek sighs, stabs a piece of lettuce, and finally says, “To tradition. Who knows, we could do it again next year.” 

“If we survive,” Stiles says, and promptly eats his piece of lettuce. Peter and Derek do the same, although Derek has to give Stiles a wary look after that comment. Stiles swallows and seems to notice, because he offers an almost timid smile. “But yeah, we’re doing this next year. Did you guys get kung pao chicken?”


End file.
